Facing Destiny
by Lycanthrope Enchantress
Summary: Meet a young girl by the name of Jihae. Raised her whole life by Lupin, she is now going to start at Hogwarts. I put humor only because I couldn't upload with out a genre. It's really a general fic.This is my first fic ever, so please be kind in your comm
1. Default Chapter Title

Chapter 1: Uncle Lupin

"Are you sure you have everything, cariad?"

"Yes, Uncle. I've been packed for the last _week!_ Just relax. Everything will be fine.

"Well....Maybe I should send just one more owl."

"Uncle Lupin! You've send _5_ in this week alone. Poor Dumbledore will not only be swamped, but he'll be sick of me before I even get to Hogwarts!

Lupin laughed. "Alright, Jihae, you win. You'll be a good girl, then?"

Jihae smiled back. "Nope, I'm going to be the holy terror of Hogwarts; the worst kid the school's ever seen," she replied

Lupin shot her a warning look. "Jihae Li---"

She cut him off before he could finish. "Of course I'm going to be good! I was only teasing you. Oy, with the way you're acting, you'd think it was _you_ going to Hogwarts instead of me. Just calm down, Uncle Lupin."

Lupin sighed and nodded reluctantly. "You know, Jihae, you don't have to call me "Uncle Lupin", he said, smiling sadly.

"If I don't call you that, then what other name have I for you Uncle Moony?" She paused and gave an evil little smile, "Uncle _Remus_?" She said his name slowly and deliberately.

Lupin returned the "evil" look. "Now that's enough of that. Again, you win, I stay Uncle Lupin. At this rate, I'll be Uncle Lupin till I die. Just not Remus. And how do you know about my nickname Moony?"

Jihae threw her hair over her shoulder and looked at him, her brown eyes twinkling. "You told me yourself, silly. Don't you remember? When I was little, you would tell me stories of the Four Adventurers: Moony, Padfoot, Prongs, and Wormtail. Sometimes I would pretend to fall asleep and listen to you talk to yourself. Besides, I've been around when you transform. You've gotten better lately, by the way. You aren't always so wild, and some nights you'll actually stay in the house. Although, you do have your moments, and you can get pretty mean," she said, touching a long, deep cut on her upper left arm.

He stared at Jihae in shock, then reached over and gently took her arm. He inspected the gash then looked up at her, a doleful expression on his face. "You mean this….I did this?…It was me?…..I hurt you again!….You said…..said you did it on a tree branch…….I..I…Oh, Jihae I'm so sorry!" he stuttered.

Jihae looked at him tenderly and gave him a hug. "It's alright, Uncle Lupin, it's alright. It doesn't hurt, and I'm still alive, aren't I? Besides, I know you don't do it on purpose. You were out of anyone's control, including your own. I shouldn't have tried to drag you back through the door. You were half-way back in, and I thought I could pull you in myself. I had you almost back in when you went berserk and got me. I had to let you go. It was my fault, Uncle Lupin."

Lupin looked into Jihae's bright brown eyes. He could see love in them; Love for him despite what he did to her. He jumped up and hugged her tightly, beginning to cry.

Jihae was startled at first, but she soon hugged him back. When she felt him crying, she gasped. "Oh, Uncle Lupin, please don't be upset! Don't cry!

"Jihae, cariad, I'm not crying because I'm sad," he started, pausing only to dry his eyes, "I'm crying because I'm happy. No one has ever loved me like you have, cariad, and I will miss you so much." He stopped, wiped his face, and studied Jihae for a while. "But, that's enough of that now," he said, cheering up. "What do you say to one last magic lesson before you go? After all, today is your last day here with me."

"Yeah!" she cried, jumping up. "But first," she said with a sly look on her face, "I have to get you back for my arm." 

With that, she wrestled him to the floor and began tickling him mercilessly. They wrestled and tickled for quite a while, the magic lesson temporarily forgotten. The wrestling match ended with Jihae pinning Lupin to the floor and refusing to let him up unless he promised to tell her a story that night about Prongs. He promised and she let him up. After they got up, she looked at him, hope shining in her eyes.

"Magic lesson now?" she pleaded.

Lupin laughed a deep, loving chuckle. "Alright, alright, cariad. But not too much, or you'll know too much. Now, what would you like to learn, cariad?"

Jihae pondered a moment. "Will you teach me two things?" she asked carefully.

Lupin nodded.

"I want to learn how to become invisible and how to make stuff appear; like clothes on me. Will you teach me those, Uncle Lupin?"

Lupin thought a moment. "Alright," he said slowly, pausing to think again. "Yes. I'll teach you those. It should be alright. However," he said forcefully," I know you'll take after myself and your father, so I want you to promise me that you won't become invisible unless it's an emergency. Do you hear me?"

Jihae looked him straight in the eye and nodded.

"Good," Lupin said, then smiled. "Now, let's get started."

The two worked most of the afternoon on the two spells. Lupin taught Jihae how to conjure clothes first. This took her the longest to learn. At first, she could do no more than magic her own clothes off and stand there in her underwear, making Lupin have to put her clothes back on her. After a while, she was able to conjure clothes, but they were always the wrong size: immensely huge to ridiculously small. Finally, after two hours of work, she was able to conjure the clothes. She could summon everything from the bow in her hair to the shoes on her feet….with the correct size in everything.

"Way to go, love," Lupin congratulated her. "Despite what you may think, you learned that quite quickly. It took me a week to learn that. Ready for the invisibility spell, cariad?"

"Yup, teach away, Uncle Lupin!" Jihae answered happily.

This spell took even longer than the first. It wasn't that Jihae couldn't do it, it was that she has to learn it in pieces. She had to make each part of her body invisible and then visible again before Lupin would allow her to do herself as a whole. He taught her hands and arms first, followed by feet and legs. Next came her chest and torso, and lastly was her head. After she had proved she could invisible and then revisible all her parts, Lupin let her make her whole self invisible.

It was a stunning spell to watch. It started at her head and worked its way down to her feet. Jihae was literally surrounded by sparkles, a little bit at a time. Lupin made her do the spell and the counter-spell 5 times until it was perfect; quick on the vanishing, and a little bit longer on the reappearing.

"You're a magical genius, my cariad!" Lupin exclaimed. "I'm so proud of you. I can't wait for you to get to Hogwarts and show them what you've got!"

Jihae just smiled. She was torn apart inside. She desperately wanted to go to Hogwarts, but she didn't want to leave Lupin.

Truthfully, Lupin wasn't her uncle. He wasn't of any relation to her at all. He had adopted her when she was a tiny baby. Both her parents were dead. Her mother had died giving birth to her, and her father had died before she was born. She couldn't remember that much about them. In fact, all she really remembers is life with her uncle. He had told her the truth about who she was and where she had came from when she was 7. From then on, she had called him Uncle Lupin. He had homeschooled her up until now. He had decided that it was time she went to a real magic school. Happy as she was, she was going to miss him with all her heart.

As the day wore on, anyone who saw them would swear Lupin and Jihae were joined at the hip. They were inseparable the whole rest of the day, doing everything they'd ever wanted to do with each other. 

While they were in the park, Lupin discovered Jihae would make a spectacular Beater. She had a stick and he a ball, and he narrowly missed getting clobbered with the ball every time she hit it. No matter where he stood, she could crack it to him with a force that could knock over a werewolf (Lupin would know). 

After a while, when Lupin's hands were black and blue from catching the ball, he decided they should go in. It was getting late anyway.

That night as Lupin said goodnight to Jihae he noticed how down she looked. 

"What's the matter, cariad?" he asked, concerned

Jihae looked up at him from her pillow. "It's just that…it's just that, well, I'm gonna miss you, Uncle Lupin. I've been here, with you, all my life. It hurts to leave. It hurts so much." She paused for a moment, watching Lupin's face, and thinking. "And, I'm worried about meeting him. I mean, I know I shouldn't be, but it scares me," she continued. "I've known for so long I was going to have to meet him sooner or later, facing destiny and all that, but---" She faltered in her speech. "I don't know! What do you think, Uncle? You've met him, after all."

Lupin looked down at her, love shining on his face. He stroked her dark red hair. "Jihae, cariad," he began, "you needn't worry about anything. I know that change can be difficult, but you'll be fine. You can write to me as much and as often as you like. You know I'll write back. And there's always the holidays and summer break. You can visit me then. Besides, I know you'll make lots of friends. I know at least one for sure, so you'll be happy at Hogwarts. I was." Lupin paused to let Jihae take in all he said, and to think of his next answer. "As for meeting him," Lupin began slowly, "that is something I cannot help you with. You must formulate your own opinion of him and meet him yourself. I cannot do that for you. You'll do just fine, cariad, I know it. Just relax, don't think about it, and you'll do perfect. OK?" he finished.

Jihae nodded. "Okay," she replied.

"Good," said Lupin, smiling. "Now sleep, cariad. You have to be up early, and you have a busy, important day tomorrow."

" 'Night, Uncle Lupin. I love you," she said.

"And I you, cariad," he replied. Then he kissed her forehead, turned out the light, and left her room.

Jihae lay awake, thinking. Even though she was concerned and thousands of thoughts raced through her head, she could feel sleep creeping up on her.

__

"Uncle Lupin's right," she thought._ "I'll be just fine and so will everything else. I just need to relax and be myself. Even meeting _him_ will be alright."_

"Yeah," she whispered. With that, she smiled, turned on her left side, and fell asleep.


	2. Default Chapter Title

Chapter 2: Lupin's News

The next morning dawned sunny, warm, and pleasant. Jihae awoke when the first ray of sunlight shone on her bed. She leapt out of bed and bounded into Lupin's room.

"Get up, Uncle, get up!" she shouted, directly into his ear.

Lupin sat up blearily and stuck his finger in his still-ringing ear.

"Alright, alright, cariad, I'm up," he said. "I love you, you know, but did that wake-up call have to go right in my ear?"

Jihae blanched. "Sorry Uncle. I didn't mean to," she apologized sheepishly.

Lupin laughed and hugged Jihae. "Don't worry," he said, stumbling across the room. "I'll live and so will my eardrum…..I think." And he laughed again.

Jihae laughed in reply and hugged her Uncle. Taking his hand, they the two them walked to the kitchen. While Jihae sat and talked, Lupin fixed a huge breakfast. They talked and ate, and after breakfast got dressed.

Jihae put on her best shirt and jeans. They were tight-fitting and accented her pretty, slender frame. She packed a few last minute things, then raced back downstairs, waiting excitedly for Lupin to take her to the train station.

@-------- @-------- @--------

Jihae pressed her face to the car window and watched the road fly by. Due to Lupin's "condition" the and Jihae lived very far out in the country, thus the ride into London was very long. But Jihae didn't care. She was too excited and too sad to care about the drive. She was so wrapped up in her feelings, in fact, it took her fifteen minutes to realize they had passed the train station. 

"Hey! Uncle Lupin, isn't the train station back there?" she asked.

"Yes, it is," he answered, not turning the car around.

Jihae began to turn around and squirm in her chair. She craned her neck, attempting to see the station and just how far away they were.

"Come on, turn around! I'm gonna miss the train! I'll be late. I'll never make it to Hogwarts!" she whined.

Lupin changed lanes, then glanced at Jihae

"Relax," he commanded. "I know what I'm doing. Trust me, you'll get to Hogwarts. I'm taking you myself. There are some old friends I'd like to see, and I also have to deliver a message. So just calm down, alright?"

"Alright," she agreed. "But, can I take the train next year?" she added.

Lupin laughed and nodded. She smiled. All in the car were well. Jihae fell asleep for a long while. Occasionally, Lupin would look over at her. He found it hard to believe how old Jihae was. He wondered what year in Hogwarts they'd place her in. Though she was a year younger, she had the skills and the know-how of an incoming 5th year student. He glanced at her again….and noticed something quite shocking. He eyebrows were close together in the middle, and her body was brawny, yet lanky. She was sleeping with her mouth open, so he was able to look at her teeth. Sure enough, her canines were long and pointed.

_"Oh, no,"_ he thought. _"I must have scratched her on too many times. She's a half-wolf now!"_

Lupin paused in his thoughts. Then he smiled.

_"Unless they know what to look for, no one will ever know she's a halfie,"_ he reassured himself in his mind. _"I'll have to tell her, though. She has to know. I'll also have to warn her about the eye thing,"_ he thought, making a mental note.

"Ah," he said, "all in good time. I'll tell her the first chance I get after she wakes up. I won't wake her; she needs her sleep." "Boy will she ever need it," he added.

@-------- @-------- @--------

Jihae yawned and stretched, and, after blinking a few times, she rolled her heard over to face Lupin.

"Uncle Lupin," she said in a groggy tone. "Hiiii." She smiled and put the seat upright. "How long was I asleep?"

Lupin returned her smile and answered, "An hour and a half, cariad."

"What? Really? What'd I miss?" she said.

He laughed. "A lot of traffic, some sheep and cows, empty fields. Not much else."

Jihae smiled. "Uncle? I'm hungry. Can we get something to eat?" she inquired.

"We sure can, cariad, just let me find somewhere, ok. And when we stop, I have something important to tell you," he said solemnly.

Jihae's eyes widened, but she knew better than to ask. She instead just nodded and snuggled back into her seat content, for the moment, to think about Hogwarts and ponder what Lupin would tell her.

@-------@-------- @--------

Lupin pulled into the parking space and stopped. Facing Jihae he said, "Well, cariad, what do you want?"

"A fish sandwich," she said after a moment.

Lupin nodded and left. A short while later he returned with lunch for both of them. As he passed Jihae her sandwich he said, "Jihae….cariad….I need to tell you something."

Jihae swallowed her mouthful of sandwich and nodded "Go on. I'm listening," she said, taking another bite.

"You're….you're a half-wolf, cariad," Lupin said slowly.

"**_What??_**" Jihae cried. She was so shocked she nearly choked on the bit of sandwich in her mouth and about dropped the rest of it in her hands. "I'm…I'm _what_? How….how do you know? How is that possible? Neither of my parents were. Wha….?" Her voice trailed off. 

"It's my fault, cariad," Lupin began mournfully. "I hurt you too much; scratched you one too many times. I'm _so_ sorry, love," he finished, eyes downcast, and looking miserable.

Jihae stared blankly for a moment then said, "Uncle Lupin, how do you know?"

He looked up at her sorrowfully. "Well, fist of all your eyebrows. They're very close together; almost joined in the middle. Also, the way your body is shaped. It's brawny, yet lanky. But the give away was your teeth."

"My teeth?"

"Mmmm, yes, cariad. Your canines, the third teeth on the top row, are long, sharp, and pointed. That's a common half-wolf thing," Lupin explained.

"But, don't vampires have the same thing?" she asked.

"Yes, that's true. But, vampire fangs are only long when they are feeding or going to feed. Halfies', wolves', and werewolves' fangs are always long. Because you're a halfie, yours aren't as long as a real wolf's, but they're longer than a humans would be," he told her.

Jihae touched the fangs inside her mouth. Sure enough, they were longer and sharper than any of the other teeth. She pulled down the visor to look. She could see where her brows cam together and the sharp teeth. 

Lupin said, "There's a few other things you should know. First of all, watch my eyes." With that, he gave a quick blink and yellowish-gold eyes flashed over his real ones. "Any wolf can do that, half or pure. You try. Here's a tip: Relax."

Jihae cleared her mind and relaxed in her chair. Facing her uncle, she blinked quickly. The yellow-golden eyes flashed over her brown ones. She turned to the mirror and flashed the other eyes a few times. 

"As you become more used to it, you will be able to do that any time you want, under any circumstances, and as long as you like," Lupin told her. "But, be cautious at the time of the full moon. While you will not become a full wolf like me, you will be come very, very wild, destructive and.…well…sexual. You MUST learn to control it. If you can, get away for a while. I'm not telling you to skip school, but do be careful."

Jihae nodded. "Can we go now?" she asked, still inspecting her eyes and teeth. "I want to get to Hogwarts soon."

Lupin sighed happily and started up the car. As they pulled out, Jihae couldn't help feeling special and proud about her diversity. She could hardly wait to get to Hogwarts now!


	3. Default Chapter Title

Disclaimer: So far, I own no one but Jihae. As I am not J.K. Rowling, Harry, Ron, Hermione, ect. don't belong to me. 

Memo of the Author: Hey everyone. I apologize for not doing this in the first chapter. I'm sure several of you out there wondering, "What the heck is 'cariad'"? Well, here's a little (late) F.Y.I. 'Cariad' is a Welsh term meaning 'dear' or something of the like. In short, it's Welsh term of affection. Sorry I didn't tell y'all that before. Hope you understand it. Now, stop reading this, and get on with the story!!!

Chapter 3: Welcome, Jihae!

Hogwarts loomed into view through the windshield of Remus's car. Jihae started at it with anticipation and anxiety. She was very excited, but also worried. She knew there would be many new things to learn, and friends, maybe even love, to discover. But she also knew there would be trials ahead, many unpleasant, and many she'd have to face alone.

Remembering what Lupin had said, she knew there were only a few certain people she could tell about her being a half-wolf. Even at that, she would have to be sure those people were her friends, and that she could trust them. 

This was not going to be easy.

@--------@--------@--------

"Welcome to Hogwarts, Jihae," Dumbledore said kindly, shaking her hand. He then turned to Lupin. After looking over him a moment, Dumbledore embraced him.

"It's good to see you, Remus. How have you been, my friend?" Dumbledore asked.

Lupin smiled at the old Headmaster. "It's good to see you also. I have been quite well. Just has my hands full taking care of this little one," he replied, grinning and nodding his head at Jihae. "But enough about that," he continued, "We're here to concentrait on her, not me."

Dumbledore nodded once, a faint smile on his lips. He surveyed Jihae, who was standing quietly in his office, looking around with shining eyes.

"How much does she know?" he asked.

"Quite a bit. She may be younger than them all, but she has about the same knowledge as an incoming 5th year," Lupin told him.

"I see," said Dumbledore. He looked back at Jihae for a moment. "She'll do very well here."

"Aye, that she will," Lupin agreed. "I'm going to miss her. I love her, you know." 

Dumbledore gave Lupin a kind, understanding look.

"Well Remus," he said, "that should do it now. Say your good-byes, and Jihae will be able to star here at Hogwarts."

Dumbledore then left them alone for about five minutes. Jihae made sure Lupin signed her Hogsmeade permission form before he left. All to soon, he was out the door, and Jihae was alone. Dumbledore returned after Lupin left.

"Are you ready, Jihae?" he asked gently.

Her stomach full of butterflies, she nodded mutely.

"Very well. Here we go."

@-------- @-------- @--------

The whole school was gathered in the Great Hall, each house at it's own table, the satff a theirs. The only one missing from the table was Dumbledore.

"What's going on?" Harry asked. "Where's Dumbledore?"

Ron and Hermione shook their heads; they didn't know either.'

The three of themfound seats and stared anxiously at the staff table, waiting for the Headmaster to appear.

Suddenly, the black curtains on the stage at the front of the Hall drew back, revealing Dumbledore and a young girl. A very pretty young girl. The prettiest girl Ron and Harry had ever seen. Apparently, all the Hogwarts boys had the same opinion of the girl, for the imediately quieted down to listen.

"Students and staff of Hogwarts," Dumbledore began, "I'd like you all to meet Ms. Jihae. She is starting here at Hogwarts today."

There was some murmuring in the crowd.

Dumbledore continued, "She has been previously sorted, and will be placed in…." He paused for effect. "Slytherin."

The Slytherin table erupted. The boys cheered, whistled, and hollered. Even Snape had a happy, hungry look in his eyes, and a smile on his face. As for the girls, while some were happy, most had scowls to have new competition, especially from such a pretty girl. 

"However," Dumbledore yelled above the din, "due to lack of space, Jihae will not be staying in the Slytherin girls' dormitory. The only dorm where there is space is----" he broke off, looking surprised. Jihae, Harry, Ron, and Hermione seemed to be the only ones who noticed that his surprise wasn't quite real. "Jihae will be staying in….the Gryffindor boys' dormitory. This is just until we quire space in the Slytherin girls' one!" he added quickly. 

But no one heard his last comment. The Great Hall exploded with noise. Jihae took the moment of mass confusion to tell Dumbledore about her being a half-wolf. She even flashed her eyes for him to prove it.

"You truly are Lupin's ward. Do you want Snape to make you the lycanthropy potion?" Dumbledore said.

She shook her head. "And I don't want to go up to the Shrieking Shack either. I just need to be tied up somewhere. Some days I might even be able to go to class. I won't be quite as wild as my Uncle. I'll be alright. And, I know to go to the Forest if things get too out of hand," she told him.

Dumbledore nodded then silenced the crowd. Jihae turned to face the whole of Hogwarts. They all stared at her. She suddenly stood up, pulled out her wand, and mumbled a spell. She was surround by a swirl of blue and purple sparks. Then came a wind which blew all the sparks away, and there stood Jihae, now wearing a green robe tied with a silver sash. Her long, dark red hair was pulled back with green and silver ribbons, and her shoes were now green and sliver with laces of the same colours. She looked herself over, and, after thinking a moment, tapped her ribbons and shoes, which immediately changed to gold and scarlet. She sat back down.

The room was silent with awe. Snape's mouth was fixed into a huge smile. Here was a girl with the most amount of talent he had ever seen, and she was in _his_ house.

"That should do it then," Dumbledore said, looking around. "Jihae, that table over there is Slytherin, and that one is Gryffindor," he explained to her quietly. "You are supposed to sit at the Slytherin one, but, seeing as how you will undoubtedly make Gryffindor friend, I leave the choice up to you. Now, if you'll follow the Gryffindors, I'm sure they'll help with your stuff, and show you where to go."

She nodded, jumped off the stage, and made her way over to the boys, falling in line next to Ron and Harry. 

"Hello," she said pleasantly. "My name's Jihae. What's yours?" She offered her hand.

Ron took it first. "Ron Weasley," he said, shaking her hand.

"Harry Potter," Harry said, taking her hand.

"Nice to meet you both," Jihae replied dropping her hand back to her side. "Sorry to be invading your guys's space like this," she added.

Ron and Harry smiled. "We don't mind," said Ron.

"Say, uh, how old are you? And what year, too?" Harry asked.

"Fifth year, just like you, but I'm 14 years old," she answered.

"Fourteen!?" they both shouted. "And you can do magic like that?!"

"How…? That's impossible," Ron said.

Jihae shook her head. "I was homeschooled by my Uncle L…," she said, but bit off the last word. "He taught me all the basic stuff, and then would teach me anything I wanted as long as he knew it. That spell you just saw was one of the things I asked him to teach me," she explained and then was silent.

Harry and Ron just stared, impressed. 

They reached the tower, taught Jihae the password, and took her stuff inside. There was one bed catty-corner to Ron and Harry's that was unoccupied. The boys carrying her things put them down next to it. Because of all the excitement cause by Jihae's arrival, the rest of the day's classes had been canceled.

"I'm going to the Common Room," said Neville. "Anyone else want to come with me?"

The dorm murmured an agreement.

Jihae found Ron before he went through the portrait hole. She tapped his shoulder.

"Could you….could you please introduce me to every one?" she asked uncertainly.

Ron nodded. "Sure," he replied.

They got to the Common Room, and Ron took her by the wrist. "You already know Harry and me, but this is our other best friend, Hermione Granger."

Jihae shook Hermione's hand and smiled. "Nice to meet you," she said.

Hermione smiled back. "Thanks. You too," she said in reply.

Ron grabbed Jihae's wrist again and led her around the room. But the time he had finished, Jihae knew Neville, Semus, Lee Jordan, and the twins Fred and George. She exchanged pleasantries with each, and then made her way to the fireplace and lay down in front of it. She put her arms under her head and stared at the ceiling, thinking.

Harry, Hermione, and Ron now had a proper chance to look at her. They sat together on the floor and studied her. She was a very pretty girl with long, dark red hair and a pleasant face. She had a curvy body, and strong, muscular arms and legs.

"Look!" said Harry suddenly. "Look at her arms!"

"Oh, my….! They're _covered_ in scars!" cried Hermione

"Man, I wonder how she got those," Ron said. "I feel kinda sorry for her. All those cuts….must've hurt a lot."

Harry and Hermione nodded in agreement. Just then, Jihae rolled over on her stomach, revealing the left side of her face to the three friends. There, stretching from the top of her forehead to the tip of her bottom jaw, was on long scar. Harry, Ron, and Hermione gasped. How on earth had she gotten that?!

"Wow, Harry," said Ron poking him, "I don't think your scar's so special any more."

Harry and Hermione both threw him a look, and Harry gave him a punch.

"Oy!" Ron yelled back. "I was just playing around. What'd you do that for!? I think she's pretty anyway, scar or not."

Harry nodded, but Hermione just shrugged and got up.

"Would you like to meet the girls?" she asked, kneeling by Jihae.

Jihae nodded. "Yes, that'd be great. I hope they're all as nice as you," she said.

Hermione gave a small smile. _"Brown-noser,"_ she thought.

@-------- @-------- @--------

"Those two over there are Lavendar Brown, and Parvati Patil. And that's all the girls," Hermione finished. 

Jihae had met and talked with every girl in the dormitory and they seemed to like her. She thought they were all very sweet and open-minded. They were talking to her, and she was not only from their rival house, but staying in the _boys_ dormitory. She had been sure there would be some apathy towards her, but most of the girls were polite, and some were sympathetic. Jihae already knew she was going to like it here very much. 

"Thank you very much, Hermione," she said, making sure to pronouce the girl's name right. "I really appreicated this. Let me know if I can ever do anything for you, ok?"

"Sure. No problem. Whatever. Don't mention it," was Hermione's reply.

Jihae smiled. "I'm going back to the Common Room to talk some more with the guys; Any of you want to come with me?" she said.

A few of the girls murmured replies, but Hermione positively jumped up. 

Jihae laughed. "I'll take that as a 'yes', Hermione?" 

Hermione nodded curtly.

The two girls left the dorm. Once they were back in the room, Hermione singled out Harry and began a disscussion with him. Jihae, however, flitted about the room, talking with whomever wanted to. She had a blast, talking to almost all the guys, and finding out little bits of their lives. Whatever they shared with her, she shared right back with them.

That night, while getting ready for bed, Jihae thought back on all the events that had taken place that day. She could harldly belive that she was here at Hogwarts, and people were already liking her. She put on her pajamas and crawled into her new bed just as the last light went out. As she lay there thinking, from out of the darkness came the sound of all the boys voices at once:

"Welcome, Jihae."


	4. Default Chapter Title

Memo of the Author: Hey, sorry this chapter took so long to get up. I suddenly became unexpectedly busy, and could not work on it. But, now, here it is. Hope you all enjoy it! o:) -3-

Chapter 4: Jihae's New Life

Jihae awoke from the best, and most dream filled sleep in her life to find the entire boys' dormitory surrounding her bed, many of them hovering just inches away from her. For a few seconds, she thought she was still dreaming. She closed her eyes, reopened them, and rubbed them vigorously. She even pinched herself. It wasn't a dream. She looked at each of them, meeting all their eyes in turn; Harry's bright green ones, and Ron's clear blue ones captivating her the most. After a moment, all the boys broke out into huge grins.

"Good morning," they said as a group.

Jihae couldn't help but laugh. "Is that what you all are crowded around me for? Just to say 'Good morning'?"

Fred (or was it George? She couldn't tell them apart yet.) grin widened noticeably. "No," he said. "We brought you breakfast too. And we just want to talk to you. Get to know you, you know." The other boys nodded, some more vigorously than others.

Jihae laughed again as Harry, Ron, and the twins began piling her lap with plates of food. Toast, eggs, bacon, porridge, sausage; anything she could have ever wanted for breakfast was there in front of her. 

"Thanks guys," she said, her mouth full of eggs. She swallowed. "So, what is it that you all want to know of me?" she asked, taking another bite.

"Are you available?!" shouted the twins.

"Well, how about where you're from, and your family, and stuff like that?" Neville asked shyly.

"And how you can possibly do magic like what you did yesterday," added Ron. 

"What year are you? And how old are you?" asked Lee Jordan.

Jihae looked flattered, amused, and embarrassed all at once. It was a hard look to pull off. She stared at them all for another moment, then said, "All right, I'll answer the questions one at a time. First of all, yes, I am available. I have no boyfriend, or any friends for that matter. I'm from , and I was raised by my adopted Uncle. My parents are both dead. My father died before I was born, and my mother died giving birth to me. My uncle, the one who adopted me, homeschooled me until now. He taught me everything I know. I am 5th year, but 14 years old," she explained. "Anything else?" she asked.

There came many simultaneous yells from the boys. Though all the voices were mushed together, Jihae got the general idea of what they were asking: "You're 14 years old and you're in the 5th year _and_ you know all that advanced magic!? How is that possible?!"

"I already told you," she said patiently. "My Uncle taught me. He didn't care how old I was. If I wanted to learn it, well, then come hell or high water, I learned it. When you're homeschooled, there's no such thing as "Under-Age Magic". You always have someone watching you, making sure you aren't misusing your powers, and all that stuff. It was fun." She smiled sadly. "I miss him."

"I know how you feel," Harry said. "I know what it's like to miss the ones you love. My parents are dead too."

Jihae smiled an all-knowing smile, looked at Harry with an understanding expression, and nodded. "Anyway," she began, "I'd like to finish eating, get dressed and all that stuff. After that, would you like to show me around?"

"Who was that directed at?" asked Neville. 

"Whom ever volunteers first," she replied. 

As all the boys shot their hands into the air, Jihae looked them over. Her eyes settled on Ron and then on Harry. She nodded at them and said, "You two, Ron and Harry, you can help me. You won't have to show me the whole castle, just some things. Is that ok?"

As they agreed, the rest of the boys looked downtrodden. Jihae laughed. "Don't worry," she said through her giggles, "Harry and Ron won't show me everywhere. The rest of you can help too." They all grinned. 

"Now, can I finish eating?" she asked. "Alone," she added. The boys smiled and nodded and left her be, not just to eat, but to sort out all her thoughts. And there was a great deal of them. 

@-------- @-------- @--------

"Albus, have you gone out of your **_mind _**?!!" Professor McGonagall screamed. "First it was leaving Harry Potter with abosolutely horrible Muggles, and now it's putting a young girl in a dormitory full of boys! And _teenage_ boys at that. What is wrong with you?!"

Dumbledore calmly surveyed his outraged college. "I have my reasons for this, Minerva. Things always work out, don't they?" he said, almost indifferently. "I know this seems like a foolish action on my part, but you must trust my judgement," he added.

Minerva sighed, shook her head and shrugged. She knew there was no point in arguing with Dumbledore now. Whatever his reasoning was, she understood that she couldn't change it. Sighing again she said, "Well, in that case, will you at least tell me what the reason is for leaving Jihae in that dorm?"

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "I knew you would ask me that, Minerva. And I regret to say that I cannot. The reason behind that rests with me and Jihae. Not even Lupin knows that she's been placed in that dormitory. I felt that telling him wouldn't be a wise decision because he is so protective of the girl," he explained, smiling. "I'm sorry, Minerva."

McGonagal looked throurghly exasperated. "Very well, Headmaster," she said. "I have no choice but to trust you and let fate take it's course with young Jihae." She paused a moment and thought. "Still," she said," it does bother me to have a Slytherin in _my_ boy's dormitory."

Dumbledore laughed. "That's the spirit, McGonagal," he said. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some matters that need my attention at this present time."

Professor McGonagal nodded and left the Headmasters office. Truth be told, they both had matters that needed considerable thought at that moment.

@-------- @-------- @--------

Jihae had arrived on a Friday afternoon, and the weekend had just sped by for her.Thanks to the Gyrffindor boys, she had learned almost all of the castle. She knew where everything she needed was, and, because of the twins, she knew a little bit more. 

Anxiously, she awaited Monday morning when she would start her new life at Hogwarts. She had met the head of her house, Snape, and recived her schedual from Dumbledore. 

It was now Sunday afternoon, and Jihae was settled in one of the Gryffindor Common Room chairs, studying for her classes. She was quite comfortable. The sun shone in through the windows, warming the room, and glinting off her red hair. Immersed in her book, Jihae was unaware she was being observed. Situated in the opposite corner were Harry, Ron, and Hermione, each watching and formulating their own opinions of her.

"She looks like you, Hermione, with her nose buried in a book like that," Ron kidded.

Hermione just threw him an icy stare.

"She looks kind of lonely," Harry said suddenly. "Don't you guys think so?"

Ron and Hermione looked back at Jihae. She had paused in her reading and was looking out the window, a pensive expresion on her face.

"You know," said Harry, "we should introduce her to Hagrid."

"What?!" Hermioned gasped. "_Her_?! Introduce _her_ to Hagrid? Harry, are you out of your mind? She's a Slytherin! She'll hate him. You know how Draco is. She'll tease him mercilessly."

"Hermione!" Harry and Ron exclaimed together. 

"How could you say such a thing?" Harry asked. "I've never known you to be so close-minded or prejudiced before."

"What's your problem? You barely know the girl. How could you make such a comment?" Ron fumed.

Hermione shrugged and fumed back. "Well, she's a Slytherin, isn't she? Just because she's a girl, or she's pretty, or smart, or new, or staying with Gryffindors doesn't mean she won't be cruel just like the rest of them. I'm just going of fact," she said, and crossed her arms over her chest.

Harry and Ron looked at each other, and then back at Hermione. "Very well," they said. "If you don't want to come help us introduce her to Hagrid, then we'll just go without you."

As Hermione gapped in shock, the two boys stood up and left her sitting in the corner.

Jihae suddenly became aware of someone staring at her over her shoulder. She turned around to find both Ron and Harry staring down at her. She smiled congenially.

"Hello, guys. What's up?" she said.

The boys smiled back at her. 

"Not to much," said Harry. "We just noticed that you looked….well….lonely sitting there. We….Ron and I….were wondering if maybe you'd like to come meet our friend Hagrid. He's the game keeper here."

Jihae's smile broadened. "Would I ever!" she cried. "Dumbledore told me a bit about Hagrid. So did my Uncle. He sounds awfully nice. I'd love to meet him."

Harry and Ron gave each other a quick smug look, knowing that they had already proved Hermione wrong, then smiled down at Jihae again. 

"Who's your Uncle?" Ron asked, helping Jihae out of the chair.

Jihae's mind went into a panic. Thinking quickly she said, "Luke. His name is Luke Repas. Can we meet Hagrid now?"

@-------- @-------- @--------

"Hagrid!" Harry called through the hut's closed door. "Hey, Hagrid. It's us; it's Harry and Ron. We've got someone we'd like you to meet. The someone wants to meet you too. Come on, open up!"

Ron pounded on the door for a moment, then ran to the windows and knocked on them too. Just as he got back to the front of the hut with Jihae and Harry, they heard movement from inside. 

"Alrigh', alrigh', I'm comin'," Hagrid boomed. "Hi, Harry. Hi Ron," he said, opening the door. "Who is it that yeh've got that wants teh meet me?"

Ron grinned widely. Stepping aside, for Jihae had been standing behind him, he revealed Jihae.

"This is Jihae," he said, taking her by the wrist and leading her into Hagrid's hut. "She just came on Friday, and she'll be starting on Monday. She was sorted into Slytherin house, but she's staying in our dormitory."

Jihae smiled up at Hagrid, as he smiled down at her. 

"Nice teh meet yeh," he said, taking her hand in his for a moment. 

"Thanks. The same to you," she replied, her smile getting bigger. Even though she had just met him, she instantly liked the larger-than-life gamekeeper. 

The four sat down at Hagrid's table.

"Hey, where's Hermione?" Hagrid said suddenly.

Harry and Ron squirmed in their seats. Ron looked to Harry.

"She…she, um…She's…well, she's just a bit prejudiced against Jihae, and refused to come with us," Harry said, feeling awful. He knew that the last thing Jihae wanted to hear was that someone disliked her. She was such a sweet girl, and on top of that, she'd only been there three days. That was hardly enough time for anyone to form a negative opinion of her. 

Ron glanced at Jihae. The only sign of discontent was just a slight glimmer in her eyes. But her facial expression gave away nothing. She only nodded, as if in acceptance, and said, "When I came here I knew there were going to be people who would dislike me. It's just a fact of life that every one has to deal with, and I'm no exception." "I'm not quite _that_ special," she added with a quirky smile.

Ron and Harry were visibly relived at Jihae's reaction, and soon the four of them, seated around Hagrid's table, were getting to know Jihae better. She told Hagrid her background, all about the homeschooling and being raised by her uncle. As she spoke, the firelight glinted on the scars on her arms. Harry, Ron, and Hagrid couldn't help but notice them and be just a bit curious.

"Uh, Jihae, can I ask yeh somethin'?" Hagrid asked cautiously.

"Sure. What is it that you want to know?" she answered.

"Well, it's actually sommat all o' us were wonderin'," he began. "We….we wanted teh know where yeh got those scars."

Jihae looked sad for a moment. She ran her fingers gently over her arms, appearing to be deep in thought.

"My dog," she almost whispered. "I got them from my dog," she said in a louder voice. "I had a…. a huge dog, much like Fang here, and these are the results of playing and stuff." She paused for a moment, then continued. "They aren't all from my dog. I've fallen off a broom a number of times. And, I like to be in the woods so I'll snag my arms on brambles, and fall out of trees, and stuff like that." She stopped abruptly, as if there was something keeping her from saying more. The guys didn't press her to continue; she had answered their question, and they could see that something was troubling her.

As the afternoon faded into the evening, the three students decided it was time to go back to Hogwarts and get ready for school the next day. Jihae and Hagrid shook hands again as she left, and then she Harry and Ron hurried back up to the school. Hagrid stood in his doorway with Fang and watched them go.

"Well, Fang, what do yeh think o' her?" he said softly to the enormous boarhound. "I like her meself. She seems very nice. She's hidin' somethin' though, an' if I know 'Arry and Ron, they'll find out what it is by the end of the school year."

@-------- @-------- @--------

That evening, as Jihae got ready for bed, she couldn't help but think of Lupin. She missed him very much, and talking of her scars earlier that day made her miss him even more.

_"This is driving me crazy!"_ she thought angrilly_. "I've got to get a grip. I know I miss him, but I can't get depressed about it every twelve seconds!! I know, I'll write him tonight. That should make me feel better."_

She laughed happily out loud, making a few of the guys look at her oddly. She smiled and waved at them. 

"Sorry, guys. Don't mind me!" she called across the room. "G' night, everyone!"

" 'Night, Jihae," Ron and Harry called back at the same time.

She smiled, then pulled shut the curtains on her bed. They were specially made just for her, to be extra-special opaque, so no one could see through. 

As she snuggled into the covers, she pulled out a small piece of paper and a quill. 

Dear Uncle_, she wrote, _Hi! How have you been? I'm doing really well, but I miss you very much. I'm in Slytherin, just as we planned. It's all working out great so far. You were right, this place is wonderful, and so are the people. I've already met Ron and, well,him, and you were right. It wasn't that bad, nor was it all that hard. He's alwfully nice, and so is Ron. Hermione, however, seems to have some kind of prejudice against me. I hope to work that out soon. She seems nice too. Well, I'm afraid I must go. It's late, and I don't want to be too tired on my first day of school. That'd be a bad fisrt impression. Take care, Uncle. I love you. Write to me soon!

Love always,

Jihae

P.S. I told Harry and Ron your name was Luke Repas, so when you write back, be sure to use the name Luke. Bye!

Next to her bed was a tall stand. Perched on top of the stand was a jet black owl, with red-brown flecks on his wings. She picked up the owl and gently stroked his back. 

"Ready for your first trip, Hades?" she cooed, and tied the letter to his leg.

She opened her curtains, carried Hades to the window, and opened it. 

"Go home, okay? Find Uncle Lupin and give this to him, then come back to me," she whispered, almost inaudably, and then launched Hades out the window. 

She walked back to her bed, and crawled in, this time for good. She pulled the covers up to her chin, and turned on her side. 

_"Dear God,"_ she thought, "_please, please let tomorrow be a good day! And take care of Hades."_

And then all thoughts were gone, as Jihae fell asleep.


End file.
